Pedro Martinez Faults Padres For Fernando Tatis Jr Suspension

Former MLB legend and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez had harsh words for the organization involved in the Fernando Tatis Jr. saga.

Tatis was suspended 80 games Friday for violating Major League Baseball's performance enhancing drug policy:

Martinez, now a commentator for TBS, put much of the blame on the Padres organization:

"Since he got hurt, San Diego has been on top of him, and this is where I have to give him a pass, because San Diego should have known what this kid is putting in his body–whether it was ringworm, whether it was flu, or whatever he put in his body–he is still valuable to the organization," he said Tuesday. "The Padres need to know exactly what he puts on 24/7."

Tatis released a statement blaming a specific medication for the positive result, something Dr. David Chao said was unlikely given he claimed to be trying to combat ringworm.

The suspension has led to substantial discussion about the situation and what it means for Tatis's future and how it reflects on the game as a whole.

There's some validity to the assertion that the Padres should be aware of what Tatis is doing with regards to medical treatment; he's the face of your franchise and signed a $340 million extension to play the vast majority of his career in San Diego.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 17: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with Eric Hosmer #30 of the San Diego Padres after hitting a grand slam against the Texas Rangers in the top of the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on August 17, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Tatis is a grown man who needs to be responsible for his own behavior.

It's extremely unlikely that his explanation for the positive result is legitimate, given the medication he took is not used to treat ringworm.

Now his future will be forever tainted by this scandal, due mostly to his decision making.

Given the comments by Padres players and team personnel after the news broke, it does seem like Tatis has been given a lot of leeway to do what he wants to do, which doesn't appear to have worked particularly well.

He might be one of the most talented baseball players of his generation, but it's abundantly clear he still has a significant amount of maturing to do in how he handles himself.

The Padres organization might share some of the blame as well, by trying not to anger their star player, they might have given him a bit too much room to make mistakes.

Pedro Martinez seems to think they deserve the majority of the blame. At least his opinions weren't nearly as bizarre as David Ortiz.